Pastor’s Blog

Rutgers Presbyterian Church has put the ministry of Peace and Social Justice at the forefront of the work we do. This includes hosting many events throughout the church year on a broad range of topics. Some of our past events included an Interfaith event sponsoring the performance “Coming Out Muslim” and an annual discussion every May centered around International Family Equality Day. Last year we partnered with Spence Chapin exploring LGBTQ adoption and surrogacy. We have several events planned for the upcoming year so continue to check our website for more information.

A black activist is wrongfully incarcerated. His wife, Leah, disguises herself to infiltrate the system and free him. But when injustice reigns, one woman’s grit may not be enough to save her love. Featuring the voices of imprisoned people, this daring adaptation pits corruption against courage, hate against hope.

Author, Mayada Anjari will be at RPC to sign copies of her new book. Mayada Anjari came to the U.S. as a Syrian refugee and is building a new life for her family with love and support from Rutgers Presbyterian Church in New York City. To show her gratitude, Mayada prepared a meal. A supper series ensued and spread to other churches and synagogues across New York City, with volunteers helping in the kitchen. These dinners have provided income for Mayada’s family, raised awareness about refugees and nurtured connections among people who want to help. Now her recipes and the story of her journey and the culinary traditions that have sustained her are beautifully chronicled in a new book from Lake Isle Press: The Bread and Salt Between Us — named one of “The Best Cookbooks Coming Out This Fall” by Food & Wine. All involved volunteered their time and talents so that all proceeds will benefit Mayada’s family and other refugees and asylum seekers assisted by the church. Read excerpts at www.thebreadandsaltbetweenus.org.

We are happy to announce that Mayada, a Syrian refugee who arrived in the U.S. with her husband and four children in March 2016 co-sponsored by Rutgers Presbyterian Church and Church World Service, will be cooking and serving dinner for about 60 guests at Rutgers. We got the idea from an article in the New York Times about similar dinners in Berlin.

Dinner will be $50 for adults and $25 for children under 16; ALL proceeds will go directly to Mayada and help her support her family. Several church members and neighbors will be volunteering their help to Mayada in the kitchen and dining room.

The dinner will be held in our Fellowship Hall, on the 5th floor of our Church House located at 236 West 73rd Street, just west of Broadway. Dinner will be at 6 pm.Guests are welcome to bring their own beer or wine.

Please help us spread the word about this fundraising event. Tickets can be found here

To learn more about Mayada’s family and the work of the Refugee Task Force, and to watch a short video about our efforts, click here.

A monthly screening of films that inform and inspire, followed by conversations with the filmmakers at Rutgers Presbyterian Church in Manhattan.

Hosted by Peter Rinaldi.

Next Screening: Friday, April 28th @ 7:00PM

“Canners” by Manfred Kircheimer

236 West 73 @ Broadway, 5th Floo

Free, donations accepted to benefit the Refugee Relief Fund

“The great Manfred Kirchheimer again surveys a New York most miss… Revelatory”—Village Voice

“A testament to its director’s indefatigable humanism”—The New York Times

Fresh from his Museum of Modern Art Retrospective earlier this year, legendary independent documentarian Manfred Kirchheimer brings us the deeply humane Canners, which takes to the streets (mainly the Upper West Side) in an ode to the men and women who earn their daily bread by diligently collecting New York City’s bottles and cans. He talks to them about their struggles, their families, and their dreams, never straying too far from his work’s abiding subject, survival in the city.